March 2018

It’s been a long winter, but spring is just around the corner. Registration is open for our first match — use the link in the side menu to register online. Stages are now posted.

Schultz’s New Pistol Bays

Plenty of people have asked when we’ll be running club matches on the new pistol bays. The answer is “soon” but not right away. There is some remedial drainage work that needs to be completed by the contractor, we’re still working out logistics with props, and we also want to be able to continue offering 6 stages + 1 classifier but in 5 (huge) pistol bays. We’re as excited as everyone else about the possibilities, but it takes a bit of time. We’ll certainly post updates as more info is available.

2018 Schedule

The 2018 match schedule is mostly the same as always, except the July match — we will be swapping dates with Schultz since they are hosting the Wisconsin Section match at the range.

Match Setup Policy

For many years stage set up has been a problem. It winds up being done by the same few people starting Saturday morning and finishing Sunday morning. We have tried many different ways to persuade, entice, reward, guilt and otherwise cajole people into helping out, to no avail. The thing is, USPSA is a volunteer sport. The people who arrive first at the range, who are also the ones putting away gear and cleaning up trash when you leave? They aren’t getting paid, and they aren’t even shooting for free. We’re all in this for the fun, not profit.

A few years ago, NISA began a new procedure to include everyone in the match setup process. Check in opens at 7:30 am day of match. It will close at 8:30 — meaning if you are not in line by 8:30 you will not be able to check in and you will not shoot today! You and your squad will be assigned a stage to build as we will bring the trailer around and drop off the materials necessary for each stage. We will provide detailed diagrams to follow, and several of us will float between stages to help direct and adjust layouts. We’ve found that if we have 50 people doing setup work for an hour or so, no one is that tired and everyone still has a good time.

The shooter’s meeting will be held at 9:45 and the match will commence as usual at 10:00. Squads will be responsible to tear down the stage they finish on and should help load same onto the trailer. These cooperative efforts will allow us to continue to put on 7 quality stages per match (6 new plus a classifier). We are contractually obliged to be off of the range by 2:00, so if everyone pitches in just a bit, we all win.

This system has also helped spur some people to come up with stage designs of their own, which is always welcome. Even if it’s a variation on a stage you shot at another club, if you had fun everyone else will probably like the stage too. Just send them to NISA.USPSA@gmail.com and we will adjust the layout and diagrams if necessary.

About NISA

NISA is a competitive, dedicated group of individuals from northeastern Illinois and southern Wisconsin with good character who enjoy interactive practical pistol shooting. We a member club of the United States Practical Shooting Association.

Shooting events are held once a month, from March thru October, subject to weather. These events consist of at least six individual stages of fire that can range from single, multiple or “field course” positions with a round count of up to 32 rounds per stage. NISA owns a vast array of target types, including the Texas star, drop turners, swingers, plates, poppers etc. so there is always something new. Each month brings six new course designs, plus a classifier, which means new challenges to test the skills of shooters of every level, and of course, an endless amount of fun.

Typical round count for a match is around 175, but we suggest bringing at least 250 rounds of ammunition (it won’t spoil if you don’t use it!)

Range fees are $20 for NISA or Schultz members, $25 for non-members and $15 for Juniors. We accept cash or checks only – no credit cards! Non-members are always welcome to compete, but we suggest becoming a USPSA member if you participate in the sport long-term.

Membership fees for NISA are $40 for new members and $30 for renewals. Your NISA membership includes a $5 discount at all monthly NISA and Schultz USPSA matches.